On low heat and in a large and deep sauce pan, melt the butter. Add marshmallows to melted butter, stir frequently to keep marshmallows from burning until mostly melted. Add green food coloring until desired color is reached. Once marshmallows are completely melted, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Stir in the Rice Krispies. Spread treats on a buttered pan or piece of wax paper and spread out until about 1/2 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter or knife, cut out tree shapes. Decorate with sprinkles or cinnamon candies.

Tonight set aside time to do something nice for your neighbors. What is more neighborly than a cookie tray or plate? These are fun and easy to make and will brighten your neighbor as well.

What you will need
Your favorite cookie recipe (There are many great recipes here on annies home just do a quick search)
All the ingredients in the recipe Lots of love Paper plates or bags to package cookies

What you will do 1) Bake some cookies as a family and then package them up to deliver to your neighbors. 2) Attach a gift tag wishing them a Merry Christmas! 3) When you deliver them to your neighbors, look at this as an opportunity to surprise them with a gift but also to open the door to talk about Christ and the purpose of Christmas. If your neighbors do not attend a church make sure to invite them. They may simply be waiting for you to ask.

Time to introduce you to another food that December claims as its national food. This time it is a food that most everyone should know. Watermelon is a berry that grows on a watermelon vine. The plant origin is from southern Africa. The plant is large and sprawling plant with coare, hairy pinnately lbed leaves and white and yellow flowers. The plant must be re-planted yearly an is grow for its edible fruit. The watermelon fruit has a smooth hard rind, normally green with dark green stripes or yellow spots. The interior of the fruit is juicy and sweet normally deep red or pink but it may be orange, yellow, or white. Seeds may be many or the fruit may be seedless.

While to me it seems odd to be serving watermelon in December as to me it is a summer time fruit I did find an awesome holiday watermelon treat

Watermelon
Christmas tree biscuit/cookie cutter
Pop sticks
(Optional) Honey
(Optional) Multi-colored sprinkles
Slice watermelon into slices just over 1cm thick.
Cut tree shapes with biscuit cutter.
Gently push pop stick into the base of the tree.
(Optional) Add a little more Christmas bling by brushing trees with a little honey (add a drop of boiling water if the honey needs softening) and sprinkling with multi-coloured cake sprinkles.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I feel thankful to have the job that I do. Being able to touch live by serving those that otherwise could not do for their selves. I often feel that those that I care for are part of my family. I get paid for my job, outside my job I give many hours of unpaid volunteer time as well.

There are many that do not get paid for their efforts to make the lives of others better. Volunteers are located all around the world. Hundreds of millions of people volunteer around the world with nearly 65 million volunteer in America.

International Volunteer Day is December 5th of every year. It opens the opportunity to celebrate the important contributions of volunteers as well as offer those willing to volunteer ideas to do so. If you have ever thought about

To help others

To learn about an activity or organization that interests you

To beat boredom (if you find yourself sitting around the house feeling totally bored, volunteering in an activity you enjoy can be a great way to change things)

To overcome a loss you have experienced (one of the best ways to help yourself in a time of loss is to help others)

To gain perspective on life (there is no better way to understand your blessings than to help people in need)

No matter the reason for volunteering you are willing. Volunteering will help you learn about yourself, how others live, and the opportunity to meet people. The next step is finding somewhere to volunteer. Some ideas include:

Homeless Shelters where you could help with meals, in food pantry or other needsFood Banks where there are many different needsRonald McDonald House needs volunteers to visit with others, cook meals and cleaning needsSpecial Olympics where volunteers are needed for raising funds to trainingHabitat for Humanity is based on volunteer work and volunteers are always State Parks are in need of volunteers if interested then contact Read help others learn to read is rewarding as well there are many volunteer opportunities availableLibraries look for volunteers to reshelve books, help in children opportunity as well as other needsAnimal Shelters need volunteers. If you like animals you may want to see how you can help

Political Campaigns with the elections soon taking place may find you right in the action

This is just a short list you may want to check out one of these or find a different opportunity no matter what it is get out there help yourself help others

This post does not have a whole lot to do with the regular posts here on Annies Home. But, because my husband and sons are fascinated by Ninja's I had to recognize today. International Ninja Day is a great day for Ninjas or any Ninja like actions. A couple of ideas to get involved include (1) wear a ninja like mask, (2) run wild in the streets wearing your ninja ware or (3) simply show the world you are a ninja.

Today December 5th is the day to take note and recognize comfort foods. Today's weather is perfect to recognize comfy foods. Damp and cool means that we are ready to stay inside, cozy up and enjoy some comfy food. One of our favorite dishes to prepare when the weather outside is like this, we have little to do but relax and enjoy life is macaroni and cheese. This recipe helps spice life up just a bit more. What is your favorite comfy food??

CHEESY MEXIMAC(Who doesn't like mac and cheese? talk about a comfort food, this is delicious, easy to make, I made it healthier by substituting certain ingredients). ENJOY.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 11x7x2" baking pan with oil or with cooking spray. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add rotini and cook 5 min. Add green onions and cook an additional 2 min. Drain and set aside.*In a saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour until smooth. Add milk, whisking until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper, bring to a simmer. Cook simmering, 4 min. Remove from heat.*Add half of the cheese to milk mixture, whisk until smooth. Stir in corn, then combine in bowl with pasta and green onions. Pour half into dish, top with half of remaining cheese. Repeat, ending with cheese.*Bake 25 min. Cool slightly before serving.MAKES 10 SERVINGS OF MEXIMAC...

The beginning of the twentieth century in America was a time where religion seemed to have it's reign. One group known as the Women's Christian Temperance Union stood against alcohol and wanted an order of prohibition. They believed that alcohol was the source of many problems in the society. A war between bars and taverns and those involved with the religious groups seemed to take place. Bars were vandalized, people were killed, and congress felt they had to step in. The eighteenth amendment that outlawed alcohol was passed This they believed would lead to the end of drunkenness, crime, mental illness and poverty.

The result of this prohibition was not what officials wanted. When someone says you can not do it one wants to do it even more and that was exactly what happened. Americans thirst for alcohol increased during prohibition. Organized crime quickly rose up to supply the thirst. The formerly legal methods of the production and distribution of alcohol was now illegal. Respect for law diminished and the drunkenness, crime and resentment towards federal government grew. The next 13 years were a bit crazy and in 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt ran on the stand of repealing the amendment. In 1933 the amendment of prohibition was ratified. The state and local government had the right to prohibit alcohol there was no longer a wide spread ban.

The 18th Amendment

Ratified January 16, 1919

Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

The 21st Amendment

Ratified December 5, 1933

Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use there in of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

Friday, December 4, 2015

There are beautiful animals living around the world in wildlife that are being slaughtered for no other reason than greed. There are criminal networks world wide that will stop at nothing to get what they want which for some are animal parts and products that for reasons that none can really understand other than money. While there are synthetic substitutes for things like ivory and fur that don't require the brutal slaughter of animals to obtain. There is no excuse for the large amount of animals being poached every year. In 2012 Hillary Clinton took a stand as the Secretary of State and created World Wildlife Conservation Day to be celebrated on December 4th every year.

Take time to learn about wildlife including elephants, rhinos, tigers and many more. Help spread the word about conservation and the importance of protecting our planets most endangered species and the impact of poaching on the environment.

Cream together butter and confectioner’s sugar. Add to this the egg and flavorings. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, adding this mixture one cupful at a time to the wet ingredients. Mix until the dough forms a ball on the paddle. Roll out on floured surface and cut into desired shapes.

Get out and see the beauty of Christmas. The lights and how others decorate their homes. Lets you peer just a bit into who they are. The lights of Christmas are so beautiful and make us recall the reason for the season that Jesus is the light of the world.

December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month. It's time to draw public awareness and enforcement campaigns to prevent impaired driving. The first campaign has grown dramatically since 1982 when President Ronald Reagan signed the first proclamation for drunk and drugged driving month. Since that organizations and communities have helped to celebrate and draw awareness.

There are so many Holiday parties that are meant to be fun and normally are. The problem is when you get ready to drive and either you or another driver out there is driving drunk or drugged. My mother always said it is not that you have to be aware of what you are doing and driving but also that there are many other drivers out there and we do not know where they have been or how their driving is. Every day, nearly 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol impaired driver. One death is too many but when you look at the numbers there is 1 death in every 48 minutes. These numbers are from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention week draws awareness and the goal is to remind everyone to "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over". The goal of encouraging safe and sober driving is a goal that we should all strive for or get a designated driver if you plan to party. Our own family has been affected by drunk drivers the first my uncle at the tender age of 16 and then my cousin right after returning from Iraq.

In addition to driving safely with no drugs or alcohol be sure that you are also driving without being distracted. We have all seen the commercial of where one last message was their last message. It would be so sad if you were headed out to the family get together and that message that you send would distract you enough that your driving suffers and causes a wreck. Your message can wait and if it can not then pull over and send a message while parked.

Quince is one of the foods celebrated in December. Have you ever heard of a quince or cooked with it? It belongs in the same family with apples and pears. Quince grow on small deciduous tree that bears fruit. The quince resembles a pear and when mature is a bright golden yellow color. Quince are grown both for the beauty of the tree and the pink blossom and ornamental quality but also because the fruit can be enjoyed as well.

The tree itself will grow between 16 to 26 feet tall. The fruit it produces will be between 3 and 5 inches long. The tree is found naturally in rocky slopes and woodlands in South West Asia, Turkey and Iran.

Today is national dice day. It may not be a big or even well known day but it did bring back some memories for me. I grew up and then married into a family that loved to play games. We have played board games as well as threw dice but the most important thing was we had lots of fun. Dice come in all sorts of shapes and sizes depending on what game you are playing. Everything from role playing games to monopoly to throwing dice games requires that you shake and roll.

I will give a bit away about me when I share this next memory of dice. In the 1970's car dice was a major component of any cool car. As a kid we lived in a very rural area but every weekend we had the opportunity to travel to another town to shop. My sister and I actually were able to purchase a set of these cool fuzzy dice for a friend of hers who was older than us but never had the opportunity to really shop elsewhere. Wow we thought this was a major deal as neither one of us was even near the age to drive but felt very cool buying the fuzzy dice.

Have any memories of board games or the car dice?? Would love to hear your memories as well

Today, December 4th is Santa's List Day. You have all year to find your self on one list or the other. As we all know Santa is watching us all the time. When we are awake, or asleep, when we are bad or good. He knows what we have been doing and has put us on one list or the other. Which list will you find your self on the nice list or the naughty list??

Don't worry though as there is always a rough draft completed before the final list is done. You have time to earn your way onto the nice list if you try real hard. Help someone out or do something extra nice you never know your name may mover from the naughty list to the nice one.

Good Luck!!! I am hoping my name is on the nice list. How about you what list do you think your name is on

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Cookie Cutter week has been fun so far sharing with you how to use ginger bread cookie cutters to make reindeers and star cookie cutters were fun as well. Now I have a grand idea why not use cookie cutters to make something different than cookies. What would you think.... Wait til you see.

Your ingredients are whatever you like on your pizza, pizza sauce and refrigerator pizza dough.

Generously flour your surface and spread out your pizza dough after following the instructions on your package. Stretch, pull and roll dough out nice and thin.

Cut the dough out with your cookie cutters of your choice. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush with olive oil Bake cut out shapes for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Top with pizza sauce use the cheese and toppings to make pizza fun
Bake at 400 for another 5-10 minutes, or until the crust is the color of your liking. We like ours a little crispy, so we put ours in for 10 minutes.

If you are like me then you often pay attention to the weather man. It helps to know a bit of what might be in store. Have you ever wondered who was behind all those weather graphs and maps?? Well I want to introduce you to Cleaveland Abbe.

Cleveland Abbe was born in New York City December 3rd 1838. He was an American meteorologist and advocate for time zones. He was the director of the Cincinnati Observatory in Cincinnati Ohio. It was during that time that he developed a system of telegraphic weather reports, daily weather maps and weather forecasts. He earned the nickname of "Old Probability" for the reliability of his forecasts as well as the father of the National Weather Service as he was the first head of the new service.

Charles Alfred Pillsbury was born on December 3rd 1842. During his life he was a U.S. flour industrialist, co-founder and namesake of Pillsbury Company and member of the Minnesota State Senate. Pillsbury started working at his uncles flour miss and before long was part owner of it as well. He changed practices that made milling more productive. Pillsbury himself created the brand "Pillsbury's Best" to put claim to the finest flour in the world. Pillsbury used gauged steel rolls to mil grain into flour The changes of milling also led to farming choices and changes as well.

In 1872 Mr. Pillsbury would expand the business with his father and uncle along side. Charles A. Pillsbury & Co. entered upon a career of remarkable enterprise. Pillsbury was also a fair man as he introduced a system of company profit sharing and paying as much as $25,000 per year in bonuses to workers depending on the company's success. No strikes ever interrupted Pillsbury business.

To wish happy birthday to Mr. Pillsbury and also salute the great company I selected one of their great recipes to share with you.

COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Beat sweetened condensed milk and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar, egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture gradually. Beat on low speed until combined. Divide dough into fourths. Wrap each with plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours. HEAT oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with foil or parchment paper. Sprinkle counter surface with powdered sugar. Roll out one portion of dough at a time to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch cookie cutters. Cut out holes for "stained glass" effect in each cookie with small cookie cutters. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Fill holes with crushed hard candies in various colors. Chill and reroll dough as needed.BAKE 6 to 8 minutes or until candy has melted. Cool completely. Remove carefully from foil or parchment paper.

From a line of heritage and honor our families come to be. Jesus had both an earthly father and a heavenly father. Tonight might be a great night to discuss our family heritage as well as the line of family for Jesus. The links on the paper tree could represent a generation.

Help your child use a ruler to measure out a strip on the yellow construction paper that is two inches wide and nine inches long.

Let him use scissors to cut out this strip.

Show him how to trace this narrow yellow strip on the sheet of red construction paper. He should use his pencil to trace five red strips.

Using this same technique, have him trace 19 narrow strips on the green construction paper.

Have him cut each of these strips out.

When he's finished, help him count each of his strips. He should have one yellow strip, five red strips, and 19 green strips.

Demonstrate how to make a round loop out of the yellow paper strip and tape it shut.

Help him thead one green paper strip through the yellow loop and tape it shut.

Explain to your child that the green loop will be the top of his tree. The rest of his paper loops will hang below this first loop.

Have him create two more green loops. He should tape each of these through the first green loop. Help him arrange the loops so that the green loops form a triangular tree shape.

Let him continue to add loops to his paper tree. Each new row should have one additional loop in it then the row before it.

As he continues to "grow" his tree, help him alternate each loop horizontally and vertically. This could happen naturally -- paper chains are made up of this back and forth pattern -- but make sure you step in and re-adjust the loops if he gets stuck.

Have your child work in the red paper loops into his tree as he goes along. These loops will be his festive Christmas tree decorations.

The last row of his tree should have only two green loops to make up the trunk.

Help your child hang his tree on the wall or on a door with just a piece of tape.

The best part about the dish I share with you here is that whether you are vegetarian or not you will love this dish. Comfort food to the highest with creamy, crisp, earthy, rich, smoky and sweet tastes all in one.

About 20 small to medium-sized garlic cloves, peeled and root end trimmed off

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and adjust a rack to the center. Coat an edged baking sheet with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set aside. Add the remaining ⅓ cup of olive oil to a small bowl and mix in the cumin, paprika and salt. Set aside. Add all of the vegetables to the oiled baking sheet as you peel and cut them. Drizzle the spiced oil evenly over the vegetables and use you hands or a flat-bottomed spatula to mix everything together. Be sure everything is well coated and in an even layer on the baking sheet. (Try to avoid any pieces being on top of each other.) Sprinkle with a bit of freshly ground black pepper. Place the baking sheet in the preheated 450 degree F oven and roast until all of the vegetables are well caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Use a flat-bottomed spatula to turn them over about every 15 minutes.

Twenty-three years ago we were blessed with our youngest son. Born early with health problems life has not always been easy for him. He has had many special classes in school and many prayers were said so that his life would be like everyone elses. I never once let him get by with anything because he was a bit slower with everyone else. He did not talk til after he turned 7 but his life was like many others. He played sports and lettered in both football and wrestling, received straight a's and now has a full time job and in a few months will marry the woman of his dreams. But he is not alone and may be luckier than many others who also have disabilities.

Did you know that the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is celebrated on December 3rd every year. It has been commemorated since 1992. The goal is to promote awareness and mobilize support for issues relating to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society and development. Everyone from governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations, academic institutions and the private sector are encouraged to partner with organizations of persons with disabilities to arrange events and activities to commemorate the day.

There is an estimated one billion people living with disabilities world wide. Each of them face many barriers to inclusion in society. From transportation, employment, education and more are areas where individuals with disabilities are often discriminated in. It is the goal that individuals with disabilities will be able to play their role in society and participate on an equal basis with others. That the focus will be on the ability and not on the disability. The goal to promote empowerment will hopefully lead to real opportunities for people that are created. By enhancing the individuals capacity and offering support when needed empowerment is reached. Individuals with disabilities can fulfill their civic responsibilities when empowered with jobs, health, nutrition, education, and social protection.

Preheat oven to 400°
Blend flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball; divide into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disks. Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add apples and toss to blend. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch diameter glass pie dish. Fold edge under, forming high-standing rim. Add filling. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round. Place 2nd disk over top and gently press edges of top and bottom crust together; crimp. Brush top with milk. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar and Apple Pie Spice.
Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Continue baking until juice bubbles thickly and crust is deep golden, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly. Bake additional 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool on rack 1 hour before serving. TIPS: You can use a combination of shortening and butter for the pie crust. Make sure to have them well chilled before processing them into the crust. Serve with vanilla ice cream or slightly sweetened whipped cream if desired.